All We Are
by TheMarauderBandit
Summary: Young Arty King, daughter of Petty Officer Douglas King finds the family she almost never had, but in the most horrible way possible. Rated T for mild language. Set during the second season. No romance. Yet.
1. Prologue

_Hello! This is my newest fic! Hope you like it! Yes, this was inspired by the song All We Are by Matt Nathanson, but I assure you this is NOT a songfic... I have pneumonia, so please excuse any mistakes and if it just sucks, I am too tired for it to be allowed. I know this chapter is sort of sudden. I already have the first chapter almost finished, so I promise it will be published sometime later today. I know I should get working on updating Wherever the Stars Are, but I honestly feel like sh*t. So, buon divertimento!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognze!_

_Characters will be AU_

_This is set sometime during the second season._

_~A very sick Bandit_

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><p>All We Are<p>

Prologue

Arty pulled her sunglasses over her bright blue eyes and pulled the scarf she was wearing tighter around her neck as the wind picked up. She turned to the white minivan that sat on the curb where she'd been dropped off. She smiled and waved.

"Thank you Mrs. Wilson!" she called and she began walking down the sidewalk as the car drove off. She came up to her to her best friend, Kennedy's house, and was tempted to go inside to visit her friend, who'd apparently stayed home from school sick. She took a step towards their front door when a loud boom reached her ears. She yelped and hit the ground, and turned towards where the explosion had come from. Her eyes met her own house, smoke pouring from it, flames licking where her bedroom was supposed to be. "No!"

She sprinted towards the house, anger washing through her as she wondered what happened. She stopped short and fell to her knees next to an unrecognizable body, though she seemed to recognize it. "No…" tears started to form in her eyes as she realized what happened. She looked down at the fleshy face, shaking her head, tears racking her body, "Not Ethan, no," she croaked, "No!" she started to sob, her head in her hands, "Not my brother, no," she picked up her cell phone as neighbors' faces peeked out windows and came out of front doors. Her hands shook as she tried to type in the numbers "911" but she had to restart a lot of times due to her using the wrong numbers. She felt someone's hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to see the surprised face of Ms. Clark, Kennedy's widowed mother.

"What happened, Abby?" she asked calmly, and Arty almost scowled at the use of the name, but she was too busy sobbing.

"I-I don't k-know," she managed through sobs. Ms. Clark helped her up, and led her to her house, which was the house next to Arty's.

"Come on dear, I'll call the police and maybe you can visit Kennedy?" Arty stood there and tried shaking her head, she didn't want to see anybody, not even her best friend, but she allowed herself to be led into the untouched house. "Yes, officer, a house has just been blown up. Petty Officer Douglas King daughter is the only who seemed to have survived. I don't think she was even in the house at the time. Yes, okay good, I have the poor girl with me."

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><p><strong>AN: How was it? Rushed? I know, sorry. Do you have any clue what happened? Please review! It makes me very happy! ;)**

**Have a great day!**


	2. Chapter 1

_Hey. Sorry for the late update. I was rushed to the hopsital on Wednesday because of my penumonia and unfortunately I am still there because my condition has not improved. On top of it all my cousin died in childbirth on Thursday. Yeah. Not the best week. So sorry if this chapter sucks. Hope you have a good day... Buon divertimento!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize_

_Characters are very AU_

_~Bandit_

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><p>All We Are<p>

Chapter 1

"Her name is Abigail Noel King, she goes by Abby, and she's thirteen years old," Tony shouted from behind the piece of paper he was reading from, making himself clear over the sirens. Kate looked at the blonde-haired, tall, blue-eyed girl that sat on the ambulance next to where the team was sitting.

"Kate, go ask her what she knows about the bomb," Gibbs took another drink from his coffee and turned to look for Ducky.

"Gibbs, her house and family just blew up! I'm not going to go _question_ her about it!" Kate protested as she stared at him with an open mouth. Tony looked like he was enjoying the whole thing.

"Well, then, go bond with her. We're going to have to ask her about it sometime, Agent Todd," Gibbs replied, finally spotting Ducky and starting off towards him.

"Go have fun, Agent Todd," Tony chuckled, stretching out against the NCIS van. Gibbs took the papers he was holding in his hands and smacked him on the back of the head. "Sorry, Boss," Tony started at the sharp pain.

"Go question Ms. Clark and her daughter Kennedy, DiNozzo," Gibbs strode off towards Ducky, wanting to know about the bodies.

"Okay, Boss," Tony grimaced as Kate laughed at him.

"Smooth, Tony," she laughed.

"Don't you have a victim to go bond with?" Tony sniffed. Kate chuckled and headed off towards Arty.

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><p>Arty looked up warily as she noticed an agent coming towards her. She felt incredibly drained. She was almost glad the doctors had stopped using her as their pincushion. She could've just told them she was fine.<p>

"Hello, Abby," the agent sat down next to the girl as she said this.

"It's Arty," her voice sounded weak. She didn't like it, but she couldn't stop it, "I go by Arty."

"Okay," the agent said evenly, "I'm Special Agent Caitlin Todd," she held out her hand to Arty. She shook it shakily, sighing in defeat. Any other day she'd refused.

"So, Agent Todd—,"

"Please call me Kate," the agent cut her off.

"So, Kate," Arty corrected herself, "What are you going to question me about?"

Kate looked mildly offended, "I'm not here to question you about anything."

"I saw you and that other agent fighting about something," Arty nodded towards Tony, who was talking to Kennedy.

"That's Tony," Kate smiled at Arty, "And we weren't really fighting. It was more of a joke."

Arty managed a weak smile. She liked Kate, "He looks like he's okay," Kate chuckled.

"Looks can be deceiving, Arty."

"What's so bad about him?" Arty was searching the crime scene, carefully avoiding what used to be her house.

"Well, he's very annoying and obnoxious," Kate chuckled again, "And he likes to hit on girls, but I think you're safe, considering you're much younger than him."

"Sounds like fun," her voice literally dripped with sarcasm, "And who are those two?" she nodded towards Gibbs, who was kneeling over a body, Ducky working next to him."

"That's Gibbs and Ducky," Kate replied, pointing to each.

"How old is he?" Arty smiled as she referred to Gibbs.

"Well, no one knows, enough times to be married more than once," Kate laughed.

"Is he nice?"

"He'll most likely be nice to you. DiNozzo and I, not so much," Arty laughed again.

"How many times has he really been married, Kate?"

"Well, let's just say he has more questions than answers. He prefers red heads," they both laughed.

"Sounds interesting. I'd like to meet him. And what can you tell me about him?" she pointed to Ducky.

"Ducky's an interesting character. He's our Medical Examiner and he's very wise. Watch out, he likes to tell stories," Kate smiled as she thought about Ducky's rambling.

"Oh really? Wise, you say? I wonder if he can help me with this math problem," Arty smiled as she pointed to the backpack that sat next to her. "And who's that?"

"That's McGee, our computer freak. Or so Tony says," Arty smiled.

"I bet he's pretty smart."

"Well in computers, yes, in comebacks, no," Kate sighed, "He can't stand up to anybody. I almost pity him. Almost. So, Arty, now that you've asked me all these questions can I ask you one?"

"Sure."

"Can you tell me anything about what happened?" Kate asked against her better judgment.

Arty sighed heavily, "Well, all I know is my brother left school for no reason. It was odd. We walk home together, or sometimes he drives me, but he doesn't have a car. We're in the same grade you see."

Kate's eyebrows furrowed, "So you guys are twins? He seemed older then you. And how could he drive if he was only thirteen?"

"Kate," Arty almost smiled, "My brother is seven years older than me."

"You're in college?" Kate looked incredulous.

"Yes, my brother and I go home after the school day's ended because I still act like I'm a regular thirteen year old."

"You're very smart then," Kate commented as she tried to figure things out.

Arty shrugged, "No big deal. I just don't like people judging me because of how I look or how smart I am," she said icily to Kate. She noticed Gibbs and Ducky heading towards them. She nodded towards them, "What're they going to do?"

"They're probably coming for me, or to take you to the building. Though, I must warn you. Whatever you do, don't mess with Gibbs' coffee."

Arty cracked another shy smile.

"Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs," he stuck his hand out to her. She smiled and nodded as she took it.

"Arty King."

"Nice to meet you, Arty," Gibbs stood back and continued to drink his coffee.

"Doctor Mallard," she shook his hand too.

"Why do they call you Ducky?" she looked into his eyes.

"It was a nickname I picked up," he sighed, but she smiled.

"It sounds cool," Arty exchanged glances with Kate as Tony and McGee walked towards the group. Arty noticed they were arguing, and she thought she heard to word "Probie" from Tony. She snickered as Tony hit McGee on the back of the head.

"Hello," McGee said somewhat nervously. "I'm Special Agent Timothy McGee."

Tony muttered something like "More like Special Needs Timothy McGeek."

"Hey, McGeek, I'm Arty," she giggled as Tony guffawed.

"Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo at your service," Tony bowed. Arty raised an eyebrow as she smirked.

"So I've met all of you. Now what?" she met each of their eyes.

"You're going to come with us," Gibbs replied.

"Are you going to interrogate me?" she looked slightly nervous and she felt Kate squeeze her arm in reassurance.

"No," Gibbs replied calmly.

"You're eyes say otherwise," Arty snapped.

"Why would we interrogate you?" Tony exchanged glances with Gibbs.

"Because you have no clue if I set off the bomb or not. And since there is no physical evidence, the only way to see if I was the murderer is to interrogate me. Of course I'm the main suspect, because I was found at the scene and I'm related to the victims," she crossed her arms, "But, people can confirm I was walking down the street when the bomb went off. And Natalie's mom had dropped me off seconds before."

They all exchanged looks, Kate met Gibbs' eyes and she sighed. He nodded to Tony.

"Who's Natalie?" Kate turned to her.

"My other best friend. Her mom picked me up after school and I was walking down the street, and," her voice cracked and she had a sudden interest in her hands.

Kate placed a hand on her shoulder and looked pleadingly up at Gibbs. He nodded gently.

"Arty?" she looked up at Tony.

"Yes?" her voice was shaking and her eyes were somewhat puffy.

"We're going to take you back to the NCIS building, okay?" she nodded slowly and allowed herself to be lead from the ambulance to the van. She felt eyes peering into her and she tried to avoid the sympathetic looks that people gave her on the short trip to the van.

She climbed into the seat next to Kate and placed her head against the side, tears threatening to pour from her eyes. She scratched her nose and rubbed her wrapped arm and stared out the window as they headed to NCIS.

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><p><strong>AN: I realize this was incredibly boring. I apologize :/ Please forgive me and review! :)**

**Here's a sneak peak for chapter 2:**

**"Send her to Abby," Gibbs tossed his coffee cup into the trashcan. Tony's jaw dropped as Kate raised her eyebrows.**

**"You mean _our_ Abby?" Kate stepped forward to persaude him.**

**"Yeah," Gibbs strode off.**

**Arty looked around the room, "Um, guys, I'm right here."**

**Yepp. Have fun ;)**

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><p>helen: Well you got most of it right. Not alot of Tate. A little bit. But I'm more of a Tiva fan. Sorry ;)<p>

Candy77: Here you go ;)

THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING AND READING! YOU'RE THE BEST!


	3. Chapter 2

_Hey! I feel super sad, because none of you reviewed! At least I'm out of the hopsital! I hope you enjoy this chapter, what little amount of you are reading it, because I worked super hard on it. I just wanted to show how much Arty already trusts the team. Oh yeah, if the words are in italics, it means it was sign language. Buon divertimento!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize._

_Characters are AU_

_~Bandit_

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><p>All We Are<p>

Chapter 2

Arty didn't remember falling asleep, but apparently she did, because she woke with a start. She looked around the room, and realized she was sitting in a chair behind a desk. She noticed Tony sitting on a desk across the room, apparently Kate's, because she was sitting in a chair identical to the one Arty was. They were having a heated conversation, a disgusted look on Kate's face as they bickered. Arty guessed it was because Tony was on her desk. McGee was nowhere to be found, and neither was Gibbs or Ducky. She figured Ducky was down in autopsy. She shuddered, and blinked groggily. She sat up in the office chair and it squeaked, but Kate and Tony continued on with their argument.

She looked around at the office. There was a desk off to her right, that looked somewhat messy, files and papers were strewn everywhere. Another desk sat in the corner, that looked clean, save for the stack of papers and a steaming coffee cup. Her eyes trailed to Kate's, which looked perfectly organized. She noticed that Tony had something of Kate's in his hands, it looked like a cell phone, and Kate was now standing, reaching across Tony while trying to get it. She shouted words, but Arty was too tired to pick up on them.

She smirked as she padded noiselessly across the room to the desk in the corner. She'd noticed that it had two computers instead of one, and when she sat down in the chair, she noticed it was much more comfy than the one she'd been sitting in. She rocked back and forth nonchalantly and looked around the room. Kate paused, and her eyes trailed to Gibbs' desk. She opened her mouth slightly, and looked at the girl.

"Arty, you're awake," she smiled at the girl. Tony jumped from his seat and knit his eyebrows.

"Does Gibbs know you're in his desk?" he looked almost concerned.

So it was Gibbs' desk. She arched her eyebrows, glanced around the desk again, and looked calmly up at the two agents, "No," she shook her head.

"Uh-huh," Tony puffed his cheeks and exchanged looks with Kate. "Well he won't be very happy when he finds out."

Arty shrugged, "I'm not the one who could lose a job," she cracked a sly smile.

Tony started and stared at her. "Don't kid about that."

"Why?" she smiled and got to her knees on Gibbs' chair, "Does it scare you?"

Tony approached her slowly as he spoke, "You never want to mess with Gibbs."

"I highly doubt he'll do anything to you," she covered her nose as he continued to creep forward, "You wear too much cologne."

He leaned towards her. He still looked incredulous.

"Tony," Kate said coming towards the two. "You are the most immature 'grown-up' I've ever met."

"Kate," Tony turned towards her, "She was joking about me losing my job."

Kate rolled her eyes, "If you're still so unsure about Gibbs, I'll tell him you two tried to get me out, but I didn't listen," Arty crossed her arms.

"No," Tony sighed, "That would only make things worse."

"Make what things worse, DiNozzo?" Gibbs came striding into the bullpen, his icy eyes trained on Tony.

"Nothing boss," Tony flinched, like a child that got caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar.

Gibbs' face turned stony. He stopped in his tracks as he caught sight of Arty. She smiled brightly, her face angelic, as she resisted the urge to wave too.

"Where were you?" she propped her elbow up and rested her cheek on her closed hand.

"With the director," he said slowly, his eyes squinted suspiciously.

"Where was McGee?"

"Down with Ducky in autopsy," Arty climbed out of his chair and onto his desk, sitting on the surface like Tony had. She could see Gibbs hold back his breath, his eyes flashing dangerously. She was rather enjoying this. He reached for his coffee cup, and Arty shrank away from his arm.

Her mouth dropped as she watched him down the thing in one go. Kate and Tony looked as if they saw this every day. Perhaps they did. She got from the desk shakily, her blue eyes wide as saucers.

"Send her to Abby," Gibbs tossed his coffee cup into the trashcan. Tony's jaw dropped as Kate raised her eyebrows.

"You mean _our_ Abby?" Kate stepped forward to persuade him.

"Yeah," Gibbs strode off.

Arty looked around the room, "Um, guys, I'm right here."

"We know. She's our forensic scientist, and her name is Abby," Tony grimaced and beckoned for Arty to follow him. Arty felt unsure. Whoever this "Abby" was, she didn't sound that good.

"Don't worry, Arty!" Kate smiled as they stepped into the elevator. "I have a feeling you'll like her."

Arty nodded, obviously not believing Kate. "Sure I will."

Tony chuckled.

Arty was really starting to feel nervous when just before the doors of the elevator opened, she heard loud, blaring music.

"Ah, she played this song last week," Kate smirked in recognition of the song.

"Yeah," Tony snorted, "Night Reaper."

"What was the band again?" Kate turned towards him. Tony shrugged.

The doors slid open. Arty was pressed against the wall of the elevator. "I'm not going in there."

"Yes, you are, come on," Tony gently grabbed her arm and led her through the doors. Arty tried her best to resist, but it didn't work.

The trio walked through the glass doors, and she noticed a person, dressed in a black shirt with a skull and cross bone on it, a red and black plaid miniskirt, tall, black boots with flames on it, and black hair pulled into pigtails sitting behind another door, working at a desk.

"That's Abby," Kate smiled at Arty, "probably the happiest Goth you'll ever meet," Arty's jaw dropped.

"Abby!" Tony called, making sure she could hear him over the loud music.

"Tony!" Abby turned and darted out of what Arty presumed to be her office and tackled Tony into a hug.

"Oof! Hiya, Abbs," Tony hugged her back and pulled back from her.

"I don't have anything yet, but I was thinking and I was just about to go down to Ducky to ask some questions," Abby paused to breathe, "Have you met the victim yet?"

"Abbs," Tony nodded to Arty, who was biting her lower lip, watching the whole thing, standing rather close to Kate. "Gibbs asked us to bring her down to you."

"Hi!" Abby burst out. "I'm Abby Scuito, the forensic scientist at NCIS!"

Arty let out a short breath, "I noticed. I'm Arty King," she held out her hand for Abby to shake, but Abby instead hugged her. She gasped and tensed up. She looked uncertainly at Tony, but he had his eyes shut tight, his fist in his mouth to keep from laughing. She then looked at Kate, who mouthed "Go along with it."

She patted Abby's back awkwardly, still tense.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Arty," Abby pulled away. Arty breathed deeply in relief.

"It's fine, unless you murdered them."

"What makes you so sure they were murdered?" Abby turned towards one of her computers.

"Well, they weren't the type of people who would commit suicide. Unless it was an accident like gas thing, but I swear it was a bomb," Arty followed her.

"We'll leave you two alone, 'kay?" Tony and Kate slipped into the elevator, unnoticed by either of the two, snickering their heads off.

Abby and Arty exchanged looks, and Abby turned the music off. "If you ever need to talk to anyone—,"

Arty shushed her, "I'll be fine, Abby," she bit her lip again, "For now, at least."

There was a long awkward pause, where Arty stared into Abby's intense green eyes, and she felt almost grateful for the Goth.

"Well," Abby started again, turning towards her computer, then turning once again to Arty, "Want to come down to autopsy with me? Or do you want to stay here? I think Ducky's done for now."

Arty took a deep breath. "Sure, I'll come."

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><p>Abby raced around her lab, and Arty came upon the fact that she never stopped moving. Her eyes darted around as Abby did, and she was so entranced in the work, that she didn't notice the elevator open. But Abby apparently did, and she turned around expectantly and did a fist pump when she saw Gibbs. He arched his eyebrows, but didn't say anything.<p>

"What have you got, Abby?" Arty noticed he had a large cup of Caf-pow in his hand. She licked her lips greedily. She loved that stuff.

"Well, Gibbs," Abby started towards the computer, and Arty scooted out of the way, "Ducky found this bullet in each of," she paused and looked at Arty, whose head was down, "Arty's parent's heads. It was shot by this really old gun. A 7X57 Mauser. Ducky confirmed they were not killed by the explosion, but Ethan King was. He said that he predicted the time of death to be about five hours before the explosion."

"That'd be about lunch time," Gibbs looked entranced by the computer screen.

"That's not all," Abby paused for dramatic effect, a smile creeping onto her face. Gibbs turned to her expectantly, "Well Ducky noticed rope burns on what little skin they had on their hands. That means either they were tied up or they were wearing these awesome new rope bracelets that they tied too tight."

"Good job, Abbs," Abby smiled and reached for the Caf-pow, but Gibbs pulled it away. He set it on the table and started to talk in sign language.

_The director wants me to interrogate her. Entertain her until then._ Arty watched as Gibbs moved his hands quickly.

_That's not fair._ Abby's frowned as she replied swiftly.

_I know, Abbs, I tried to reason with him, but he doesn't trust her._ Gibbs sighed.

_Gibbs, I've been entertaining her for hours. She's not the most enjoyable person. I'm not saying I don't like her. I adore her! But all she does is sit there._

_She doesn't look that bad._

_Looks can be deceiving, Gibbs. You should know that! _They both turned to look at Arty.

_You know I can understand everything you're saying, right? It's not nice to say to talk about people._ Arty signed just as quickly as Abby or Gibbs. Gibbs looked mildly surprised.

"You can sign?" Abby blurted out, her eyes wide.

_Yes. My good friend Tammy and my brother David were both deaf._

"Wow! I didn't know that!" Arty chuckled. Abby turned to Gibbs, "Did you know that?"

"Nope," Gibbs shrugged.

"So you must sign all the time, right? That's so cool!" Abby returned her attention to Arty.

Arty seemed to have gotten a sudden interest in her hands, "No, not really," she picked at her fingernails, not meeting Abby's eyes, "They both died."

She heard Abby gasp, but still didn't meet her eyes, "Really? I'm sorry. How?"

Arty decided to look into Gibbs' icy eyes instead. "Tammy drowned. David was killed in a car wreck," she swallowed.

She looked around the room, and settled back on Gibbs' eyes, but she was gazing off into her memories "I was there when Tammy died. She hit her head on a rock. We were swimming in a river by her house. I could have saved her. But I couldn't decide what to do. She passed out, the current pushed her over. I nearly drowned too. And David was killed by a drunk driver. He was driving home with his girlfriend and her little sister. Out of the blue, a huge SUV comes charging through the red light. He was going about ninety, he hit David straight on. His girlfriend and her sister died right away. He died a few hours later. But we didn't get there in time. It was a long drive to the hospital from our house and when we got there, he was already gone," she licked her lips, tears threatening to spill from her sad eyes. "I didn't get to say good bye to either of them. I don't have any family left, now. I can't even trust my two best friends, Kennedy or Natalie. They weren't like Tammy, she was like a sister."

Abby watched her with intense eyes. She slowly pulled the girl into a hug, as silent tears fell from her eyes, smearing the Goth's makeup, "Oh, Arty, I'm so sorry."

Arty hesitant, but she weakly hugged Abby back. She felt one or two tears fall from her own eyes, and she buried her face into Abby's shoulder. She pulled back, and met Gibbs' softened eyes, which were flashing, but not at her. She could tell what he was thinking, "I'm going to find whatever bastard took what little family she had left from her and kill him." She smiled weakly, and she felt a new connection with both of them. She trusted them. Kind of.

Gibbs handed Abby the Caf-pow, kissed her forehead, and muttered "Good job, Abbs." He passed by Arty, and took her hand, squeezed it gently, and briefly kissed the top the head before leaving the room. Arty looked down at her feet, a smile spreading on her face. She looked up at Abby.

"Want some?" Abby offered her the drink. Arty's smiled widened and she accepted it, smiling at Abby.

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><p><strong>AN: So I had SO much fun writing this! I hope at least one of you reviews! I'm sorry for the liong wait ;)**

**Here's a sneak peak for chapter 3:**

**"Abby!" Arty exclaimed, jumping up from her chair.**

**"Yeah?" Abby turned from her work, and pushed the goggles up from her eyes.**

**"This computer-"**

**"That's Calvin," Abby arrived behind her.**

**"You name your computers?" she turned to Abby, an icredulous look on her face.**

**"Only the special ones. It started a couple of years ago, when-"**

**"Abby! Focus!" Arty returned her attention to her discovery, "Sometimes I wonder if you and Ducky are related," she added under her breath.**

**;)**

**THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! YOU ARE ALL AWESOME!**


	4. Chapter 3: Truth

_Well, thanks to those who reviewed and replied. It's awesome that you guys did. I'd like to add that this fic is dedicated to Naomi, Maddie, and David, my dear sweet brother. Thanks to you all! Buon divertimento!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize_

_Characters are slightly AU_

_~Very Special Agent Bandit_

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><p>All We Are<p>

Chapter 3

For all she knew, she could have been dying. A slow painful death. She could've been already dead; all this could've been a fantasy. But she knew she wasn't dead. Not if she could feel such pain. A pain that spread from her toes to her head. That ached in every bone, that made hammers crush the inside of her skull. The pain that blossomed from her heart, that made her shudder. She could feel the pain in her shoulders, her legs. She was curled in a ball, biting her lip so much it bleed, in attempt to distract the pain, but it only added to it. The cold floor wasn't helping her horrible shivers. The ones that racked her body, made her teeth chatter, and her lips turned blue. She sat against Abby's cool refrigerator, her cheeks flushed with fever. She was wrapped in Tony's jacket, lying on a futon, her head resting against Abby's purple farting hippo, named Bert.

She felt tears fall down her cheeks, and into her ears, a sensation she hated so much, but didn't have the energy to stop. She watched Abby race around the room, something she'd been doing since Arty'd first arrived. She grew dizzy of the movements, and instead focused herself on the dark window of Abby's lab. She watched rain drops slowly hit the window with a soft "patter" and then latch themselves onto each other as the slid down the window, as if they were racing each other. She smiled at her fantasy, but the movement hurt, and she instead continued to look around the room, trying to distract herself. Abby had turned her music off, and Arty could hear her own, soft breathing. Slow and short. So unsure.

Arty moved her stiff toes, and hugged herself, trying to find balance between the shivers and the heat waves that passed through her. What if they abandoned her? She looked around the room, and into Abby's office, where McGee was sleeping in her office chair. She quite liked him now, no matter how nerdy he was. Or how much fun it was to mock him. She watched as his mouth moved open, and for a second, she held back laughter as she could hear a slight snore through the glass door and the faint melody of all of Abby's machines beeping. She could hear Abby start to hum impatiently under her breath, as she took a sip from her seventh cup of Caf-pow today. She looked at the table stacked full of evidence, and Arty wondered, not for the first time that night, where they'd gotten all of it. She hadn't seen that much evidence at the scene.

She gave a slight moan as she shifted in attempt to get into a more comfortable position, and Bert farted underneath her head. Abby spun around, quick as lightning, her green eyes wide in surprise, and when she saw it was only Arty, quickly relaxed. She knelt down next to the girl.

"How're you feeling? Did I wake you up?" Abby said softly, her voice gentle and concerned.

"I feel like I'm going to vomit," Arty paused, "I was never asleep, Abby."

She looked even more concerned. "Maybe we should get Ducky to look at you again."

Arty shook her head with another quiet moan, "He said I should rest, maybe take a few Tylenol. But he said that's all he could do. It'd be better if we just left him alone."

Abby nodded, and looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry you're feeling so horrible."

"There's nothing you could do," A weak smiled crept onto Arty's face.

"Maybe I should get Tony or Kate to come pick you up. You could stay at one of their houses. You could sleep in a real bed."

"I wouldn't sleep anyways. Besides they're probably asleep. What time is it anyways?"

"It almost two thirty."

"Two thirty?" Arty knit her eyebrows, "Aren't you tired?"

"Nope, I've got my Caf-pow," Abby shook the cup that she held in her hand quietly. "Want a drink? You're not contagious."

Arty smirked and refused, "You should get back to work. I'll probably feel better after you guys catch the killer."

Just then, Gibbs arrived through the doors, a cup of coffee and Caf-pow in each of his hands. "Any progress, Abbs?" he looked over at the two of them.

"Sorry, Gibbs," Abby stood back up and finished the cup of Caf-pow she had in her hand, "Nothing yet."

He gave a resolute sigh and directed his attention to Arty. "Feeling any better?"

Arty shook her head. He knelt by her.

"Is there anything you'd like? You're going to be staying here all night. If there's anything that'd make you less miserable…"

Arty shook her head again, "Thanks for asking Gibbs. But it's going to be a long night no matter what you give me."

Gibbs nodded and brushed back the hair from her sweat forehead and kissed her cheek. "Feel better. We can't interrogate you until you at least have enough energy to sit up."

"I'll try," Arty chuckled weakly. Gibbs handed Abby the Caf-pow and left the room again. Arty continued her shivering, a sheet of sweat still lying on her skin. She exchanged looks with Abby, and shakily got up off the ground, only to collapse into a chair. "I'm tired of the ground."

"I don't know what we could do."

"Do you have any games?"

"Yeah, but all of them have pieces missing," Abby chuckled as she handed Arty her cup of Caf-pow, "I could show you all of my tattoos."

Arty snorted, "As if that'll happen. I'm fine only knowing about the ones I can see, thank you."

Abby laughed, and Arty's head stopped pounding for a millisecond.

* * *

><p>"Do you think Gibbs will let me have some of his coffee?" She whispered to Tony as they watched him from Tony's desk.<p>

"No. Not even Abby can get him to share his coffee. You wouldn't like it anyways, it's black, nothing but coffee in it," Tony snorted, his fingers darting across the keys of his keyboard, not even glancing up at Arty, who sat next to his computer.

"At this point, it doesn't matter what it tastes like," she could see Tony smirk out of the corner of her eye.

"Sounds like you're tired," Tony snuck a look at her, "You should've gotten more sleep last night."

"I would've if I could've. I bet you Abby's as tired. She had to deal with me the whole night. And I had as much Caf-pow as her," Arty slid off his desk and turned towards Tony. "So, how far are you to solving the case? Are you really going to interrogate me?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders in an "I dunno" manner, but he quickly avoided meeting her eyes. Arty put her hands on her hips. "No use lying to me."

"It's only the second day. I bet you Gibbs is coming to collect you for interrogation right now," Tony sighed in resignation.

"Anything I should know about what's going on?" Arty looked down, then back up.

"Gibbs doesn't suspect you. That's a good thing," Tony continued to type.

"And how would you know he doesn't suspect me? You haven't seen him all morning!" Arty threw up her hands in frustration.

"He's looking for a foster home for you," Tony bit his lip, and paused his typing. Arty swallowed.

"That's… Wonderful," her voice dripped with sarcasm. She ran her fingers through her knotted hair and scoffed.

"Are you okay, Arty?" Kate came into the bull pen, and dropped her bag onto her chair.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she looked down, biting her lip again; "I just learned I'm going to be sent to a foster home."

Kate looked up and down at her, "Gibbs is just looking at some. I bet he won't send you to one. He's not that heartless," she dialed a number into the phone on her desk, putting it up to her cheek.

Arty looked away, and came face to face with Gibbs. He beckoned her with the hand he wasn't holding coffee with.

"You're not going to interrogate me, are you?" she followed him slowly.

He shrugged, but she stopped in her tracks. "Come on," he demanded. He reached forward for her arm, but she recoiled, her eyes flashing murderously.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me where you're taking me," she backed away slowly from him, her hands on her hips. Tony watched the scene with interest, while Kate stopped talking to the person on the phone.

Gibbs sighed, and Arty leaned against Tony's desk. "Fine," he muttered, "C'mon then," he beckoned her towards him again, "I'll take you back to Abby."

She cast a hesitant glance at Tony, shifted her weight, bit the inside of her cheek, and finally shuffled after him.

* * *

><p>"So what was I supposed to do? I mean he asked me out, but I hated him, and he was such a gentlemen, and I really liked that restaurant, so I went with him. In the middle of the date I get this call from Gibbs, and of course I had to take it. And then he thought I was going out with Gibbs. Which was the <em>weirdest<em> accusation I've ever heard of. Turns out there was a dead sailor and he needed me back to the lab. So Tom never talked to me again, which I was glad of. It was really quite a weird set of circumstances, but all in all I now know _never_ to date a zookeeper again," Abby finished her rambling with a short laugh, and Kate, who was also listening to the story, joined in shortly after. Arty's eyes sparkled with laughter. It really was a funny story, but her mind was on something else at the moment.

"So…" she paused, her voice wavering as she thought over wait she was going to say. She felt both of Kate and Abby's eyes on her, "So… What do you think about dating older men?"

Both of them paused for a second, "If you really like him-" Abby started, and Arty could see the edges of her mouth twitching up into a smile.

"Abby!" Kate looked absolutely appalled at the idea.

"I was just gonna say that if you really liked it, you should totally go for it," Abby's smile looked elfish, "I actually quite dig the idea of dating older men, it kind of gives you a satisfying feeling."

Arty burst out laughing, Kate slapped Abby on the arm, "We are not supposed to be promoting these ideas!"

Abby ignored her, "So, how old is he?"

"Umm… I don't really know," there was an awkward pause, where she looked around guiltily, "I'd say somewhere along the lines of thirty-three or something like that."

Arty bit the left sleeve of her jacket, and looked up at Abby and Kate with innocent eyes, "That's not so bad," Abby ignored the heated glare from Kate, "I'm mean you're thirteen, right?"

"What's his name?" Kate finally gave in, beginning to get curious herself.

"Well, um, it's a little embarrassing. I mean, you know him," Arty pulled herself into a crouching position, only to rock back on her heels.

"Arty, we know a lot of people," Abby smiled at her, "Honestly, who is it? I swear I won't tell."

"I won't either," Kate grinned at her also.

"I, um, still don't know that I can tell you," Arty's stomach did somersaults in anticipation. What if she really told them? "You swear you won't tell anyone? Not even Gibbs, or Ducky, or McGee, or Tony? _Especially_ Tony."

"Come on, Arty, we don't have all day," Abby smiled at her.

"Nervous?" Kate sat forward also.

"If you tell Tony, I won't hear the end of it," Arty met their eyes, "Because, well, it is Tony. I have a crush on him, like a major crush."

Abby burst out in giggles, "Tony?"

Kate's mouth dropped, "You have a crush on Tony?"

"Yeah," her eyebrows furrowed in protection, "What of it?"

"What do you see in him?" Kate cried out in distress, "He's disgusting and just—ugh!"

"Well, he's funny and sort of charming. Besides," A sly smile slid onto Arty's face, "He's Italian."

Abby's face was starting to turn red she was laughing so hard. "Stop it!" Arty smacked her on the arm in a playful manner.

"I'm sorry, it's just, Tony? Of all the people it's Tony?" she buried her face in her hands.

"How can you think he's charming? He's nosy and annoying," Kate folded her arms.

"He isn't to me," Arty growled.

"That's hilarious," Abby chuckled.

"Breathe, Abby," Arty patted her shoulder.

"That's just really disturbing," Kate scrunched up her nose, looking down at the floor.

Arty closed her eyes and breathed through her nose, "One more word about it and I'll-," her eyes snapped open. "Abby!"

"What?" a sort of urgent tone hung from Arty's words.

"What gun did you say it was? The ones that supposedly killed my parents," she jumped up from the floor and waved a hand at Abby.

Abby got up as well, "A 7x75 Mauser. What's this about?"

Arty jumped into the chair she'd been using last night and slid to the computer screen. "Can you show me a picture of it?"

"Sure," Abby started to type into the computer, and Arty tried to follow her fingers, but she soon grew dizzy.

"What's wrong?" Kate had gotten up too, and was now by Arty's side.

"Here," the picture showed up on the screen. Arty's eyes widened. She studied the picture for what seemed like hours. Abby turned to work on studying Ethan's clothes, and Kate went back upstairs for a lead.

"Abby!" Arty exclaimed, jumping up from her chair.

"Yeah?" Abby turned from her work, and pushed the goggles up from her eyes.

"This computer-"

"That's Calvin," Abby arrived behind her.

"You name your computers?" she turned to Abby, an incredulous look on her face.

"Only the special ones. It started a couple of years ago, when-"

"Abby! Focus!" Arty returned her attention to her discovery, "Sometimes I wonder if you and Ducky are related," she added under her breath.

"You were saying something, Arty?" Abby turned back to the thirteen-year-old.

"Calvin shows this gun," she pointed to the one on the screen, "But that's not a 7x75 Mauser."

Abby's eyes widened, "What gun is it?"

"A 9x19 mm. Beretta 9000," Arty squinted at the screen and nodded.

"How did I make a mistake?" Abby muttered under her breath.

"What's the mistake?" Gibbs was suddenly beside them both, a Caf-pow in his hand.

"I told you that the bullet fired was from a 7x75 Mauser, but it's really from a 9x19 mm. Beretta 9000," Abby groaned, "The possibility of me making a mistake is like one million and one. Arty discovered it."

Gibbs suddenly turned on her, "How'd you know it wasn't a Mauser?"

Arty shrugged, "I recognize the gun. I saw it a couple of times with someone."

"Who?" Gibbs' eyes flashed in surprise.

"There is only one person I know who owns that gun," she paused, blinking rapidly, "And he's dead."

"Who?" Gibbs repeated.

"Petty Officer Robert Carter, Kennedy Carter's dad," she met Gibbs' eyes, "It was buried with him. Before he died, he used to show Kennedy and me how to clean it."

"It's okay, Abs," he patted her shoulder, and gave her the Caf-pow, "Good job, Arty."

He kissed her cheek again. Abby suddenly groaned as Arty watched him leave the lab. "What is it, Abby?"

She scrunched up her nose, "Arty," she looked troubled, Arty wasn't liking the look of it, "I'm afraid…"

"What is it, Abby?" Arty demanded, turning to look at her.

"Gibbs is faking it," she whispered.

"You mean, he's—he's gaining my trust?" Arty leaned back in her chair, "He's making me trust him?"

Abby nodded slowly, "By being nice to you. He's gaining your trust so the inter—."

"So the interrogation would be easier. So I would talk more," she turned her head to look at the door again, her eyes reproachful.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: That was kind of sad. Too bad for Arty, Gibbs is totally lying to her. Well that's too bad. Thank you! Please review, they make me happy and keep me writing.**

* * *

><p>helen: Well I did say that there would be a little. I didn't say there wouldn't be any. I only as that pairing because they are the other two main characters of the story. I'm not implying that they are going to get together. Though I do appreciate you reading the story :) Thank you :)<p>

lognay482: Haha, well it was meant to be rushed ;) I tend to do that alot, though. Thanks yous XD (By the way I had to update, because I was fantasizing about the sequel)

THANK YOU ALL WHO READ AND REVIEWED! YOU ARE AMAZING!

;)


	5. Chapter 4: Grave

All We Are

Chapter 4

"DiNozzo, check out the graveyard," Arty watched as Gibbs threw Tony the keys. She swallowed hard, "Look for a Petty Officer Robert Clark. If anything seems out of place, call me."

"Got it boss," Tony caught the keys with no problem and picked up his jacket.

"Hey!" Gibbs called.

"Yeah, Boss?" they'd been through this before. Arty sighed and leaned back in Tony's chair. She was just another case.

"Take Kate with you," she waved to the agent as she passed by her. "McGee, go interview Mrs. Clark."

"Okay, Boss," McGee headed out after Tony and Kate.

"Mrs. Clark didn't do it," Arty watched Gibbs as he paced.

"How are you sure?" he stopped in his tracks and met her eyes.

"She was like a mother to Ethan and I. She and my mom were best friends," Arty knew what was coming next.

"What can you tell me about her?" he pulled up a chair and faced her.

"Nothing that you didn't already find out when you had the team look her up," Arty snapped at him. That kept him quiet. She decided she wasn't going to let him slide about the tricking thing, "So, you don't really trust me. You don't care about my parents being dead. You don't care about my well being. You just care about me giving you information. You would like it if I was trapped in a foster home."

She stood, knocking some things off Tony's desk as she leaned in next to him. "That isn't true."

"How can I trust you?" she noticed annoyance flash slightly in his eyes, but it was masked with something else. "How can I know you're telling the truth?"

"I'm supposed to be asking those questions," he replied calmly. Oh man, she was going to kill him.

"If you're not tricking me then why are you being so nice to me?" her voice was getting louder and louder. "You aren't nice to anyone else except Abby, and she told me you never care about suspects like this!"

He was silent for a while, his eyes searching, "You remind me of someone."

Arty sat back down, she realized what was filling his eyes. Pain, "Who?"

She looked down at her feet, "Kelly."

"Who's Kelly?" Arty looked back up, but he was gone. She looked around frantically. What had happened? She sighed and propped her feet up on Tony's desk. Perhaps she would lay off Gibbs for a while.

* * *

><p>"What have you got, McGee?" Arty snapped awake, and gave a feeble yelp of surprise.<p>

"Well, I visited Karen Clark's house. She was supposedly taking care of Kennedy, who apparently has a cold, but she didn't seem that sick," McGee sat down at his desk.

"She has a fever," Arty snapped, "She stayed home from school yesterday."

"She said she didn't know anything about the explosion and that she was really sorry," McGee ignored Arty's comment, "I asked her what she was doing that day, she said she was home all day long, except when she went to the store at eleven to get some medicine for Kennedy."

"And?" Gibbs looked thoroughly annoyed now.

"She said that neighbors could confirm that she never left, and a store clerk at Walgreens could confirm she was there at about eleven fifteen."

"Good," Gibbs stood, "Check out Walgreens, see if anything suspicious is going on—," he answered his cell phone, "Yeah, Gibbs. Okay, Tony, we'll be right there."

"Boss?" McGee furrowed his eyebrows.

"Tony and Kate found something wrong with the grave," Gibbs started out towards the elevator. "You," he pointed to Arty, "Stay here and don't touch anything."

"Okay," she rolled her eyes and turned on Tony's computer.

* * *

><p>"Don't you find it a little odd that Mrs. Clark was out of the house at around the time that Arty's parents were killed? And the time that Ethan King left school?" Kate was protesting.<p>

"Ha!" Arty suddenly cried out. She felt four pairs of eyes suddenly train on her. "I beat your high score Tony!"

She smiled up at him, her eyes mischievous. She saw his hands twitched as he met Gibbs' eyes, "Arty, we're discussing something about the case."

"Okay," she returned to the game, but she was secretly listening.

"Only two people know where Petty Officer Clark's grave is," Gibbs whispered. Arty's ears perked up, "Tony, McGee, go get Mrs. Clark. Kate, take Arty and give this to Abby."

"Got it Boss," McGee and Tony chimed. Seconds later, they were gone.

Kate snatched the evidence bag from Gibbs, and looked up at him calmly, "You think Mrs. Clark did it?"

Gibbs didn't answer, but turned to leave, "Gibbs!" her voice sounded frantic, "Where will Kennedy go?"

"You worry about this and Arty," he took her arm and pushed her lightly in the direction of Tony's desk.

Arty quickly adverted her eyes and pretended she was interested in the video game flashing on the computer screen, "What's that?" she pointed at the bag in Kate's hand.

"Evidence," she quickly stuffed the bag behind her bag, "Nothing you should be concerned about."

"It _is_ my family," Arty stood and scowled as she noticed dirt.

Kate smiled at her knowingly, her eyes sparkling, "To Abby's."

"Again?" she tried to cover the disappointment in her voice. She was hoping Kate would disobey Gibbs.

Kate just laughed and headed towards the elevator. Arty looked around the empty bullpen, then at the window. It was almost sunset, and the trees were swaying in the wind. She smiled. It would've been the perfect day to play with her friends.

"Arty?" Kate called. She snapped her head towards the elevator.

"Sorry!" Arty dashed towards the waiting agent, and leaned against the walls. "You want something from me."

Kate looked mildly surprised, "How'd you know?"

"It's in your eyes."

"Did you murder your family?" Arty snorted.

"I've never known you to be so blunt, Kate," she sighed, "No. I did not kill my family."

"How can I trust you?" Kate raised an eyebrow at the mischievous girl.

"Do I seem like the lying type to you?"

"You lied about the gun," Kate met her eyes.

"What?" Arty snapped her head towards Kate, "What are you talking about?"

"The gun. It wasn't it the grave," she jumped at Arty's sudden reaction.

"What?" Arty's eyes widened, "Oh no. Someone must have taken it," she paused and pursed her lips before growing oddly agitated and pacing the elevator, "I was at his funeral. He was like another father to me. I saw Karen put the gun in the grave!"

"Who was at the funeral?" Kate avoided Arty's eyes, and insteas kept them trained on the elevator doors in thought, "Can you remember?"

"All of them were family, except my family, and half of them are dead now," she whispered, and bit her bottom lip.

"Dead?" Kate's voice raised in alarm.

"Cancer runs in the Clark family. On both sides. All of them died from some sort of cancer except for Katie, who died in a house fire," she sighed through her nose.

"Katie? Who's Katie?"

"Kennedy's older sister. She was seventeen when she died a year ago," Arty paused and groaned, "She was Ethan's girlfriend."

"Do you think—do you think it's possible your brother killed your parents and then blew himself up?"

"No."

"How are you so sure?" Kate's voice was wary.

"I would've known if he was making a bomb in his bedroom. He sleeps in the room right next to mine."

"Well we already went through the Clarks' house. No sign of bomb making there," the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

Arty paused, racking her mind. She watched Kate step out of the elevator.

"Come on, Arty," Kate called once again. She scowled and stepped into Abby's lab. "Abby!"

The Goth spun around and smirked, "Back again, huh?"

"I have evidence for you," Kate handed the bag of dirt to her, "We found it at the crime scene."

Abby did a little fist pump, and saluted Kate, "All right."

"Thanks, Abby," she smiled at her, then patted Arty's shoulder on her way past her.

"So, what do you want to do?" Abby spun in her chair and looked the girl in the eye.

"I'm not here for entertainment, Abs," she sat in the chair she'd been using before, "I'm here to help you solve the case."

* * *

><p>"I have to go get this to Ducky, okay?" Abby took something from her office, Arty couldn't make out what it was.<p>

"Okay, Abs," McGee, who had just joined the two, didn't take his eyes from the screen when he spoke.

"I'll be right back," Abby was heading out the door.

"Hurry up," Arty's voice was just as iconic as McGee's.

She peered around the corner to make sure the scientist was gone, before turning off the music.

"I was starting to get a headache," she stretched back in her chair.

McGee didn't answer, but clicked a couple of things and groaned.

"Loosen up, McGoo," she smiled at the use of the nickname and stood from her chair.

"Don't call me that," he finally turned his head, and got up from his chair too.

Arty snickered as she examined the selves of Abby's lab. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw McGee in the corner, staring at something on the plasma screen.

She thought she heard something clatter outside, but she just scoffed and looked out the dark window. Night had fallen about two hours ago, and she sighed as she realized it was raining again. Before she could blink, the glass of the window ahead of her exploded in little pieces, and something flew over her head. She slid to the ground with a loud scream, cowering against the shelves, and suddenly McGee was right next to her.

"Are you okay?" he breathed. She noted he sounded awfully scared.

"I'm fine," she tried to calm herself, "Get the lights!"

She watched him nervously as he darted around the room, clicking all the lights off. She turned her head towards the window. Someone had shot at her.

Soon, the lab was covered in darkness. She heard footsteps that obviously weren't McGee's.

"Guys?" Arty heard Abby's voice, and she lurched forward, grabbing Abby's arm and pulling her towards the floor. Abby gave a small yelp.

"Someone shot at us," Arty hissed, and they crawled to the edge again, "Watch out for glass."

"I should call someone," McGee whispered. Arty gave him a look, and scrunched up her nose.

He picked up his phone and punched in a number, "Tony, someone shot at—."

Another bullet came whizzing through the window next to Arty. She screamed again and cowered next to McGee.

She felt herself shaking. "McGee, I'm scared."

"I called Tony," he whispered, and he grabbed Abby into his arms. Arty clung to his shoulder, grabbing it with intense force.

"How can he see in here?" tears started to form in her eyes.

"He can't," his voice was shaking.

"McGee?" she heard Tony.

"Get down!" McGee warned, and she noticed Gibbs was with him. The two raced quietly to their sides.

"Tony," Gibbs whispered, "Go check outside, get it closed as a crime scene."

"Got it, Boss," Tony crawled towards the doorway, and slipped out of sight.

"Are you okay?" Gibbs sat next to McGee.

"No!" Arty's voice was frantic, and dripping with terror.

She saw him hold Abby in his arms, and whisper something to McGee, but she inched away from him when he tried to comfort her. She was now latched onto McGee's arm, and she couldn't wrap her mind about anything.

"Boss," Tony came in and flicked the light on, "No sign of anything. The coast is clear."

They all stood up, and suddenly Arty grabbed McGee in a painfully strong hug, and she was sobbing into his shoulder. She could tell he was uncomfortable, but she didn't care.

Tony unlatched her from him, and she was shaking as she stood, avoiding everyone's eyes. "Are you okay?" he gently held her arm.

She shook her head. And then she collapsed onto the ground, bringing Tony with her. She curled into a ball and started sobbing. She could feel Tony patting her arm awkwardly.

"Are you all okay?" she heard Kate's voice, "Tony told me—What's wrong with Arty?"

She was by her side in an instant.

"Someone tried to kill me," Arty's voice was muffled.

Kate hugged her and rubbed her back, "You were in Abby's lab, I highly doubt they were trying to kill you."

"Then why did they only shoot when I was by the window and Abby was gone?" Arty pulled back from Kate's hug, and was still crying hard.

"I don't know, Arty, but we're going to find out," Tony gripped her shoulder in a caring way.

She met their gaze and nodded, feeling a whole lot safer. Gibbs offered her his hand, and he pulled her up. She smiled feebly.

"I suppose I'm not staying here tonight?" she swallowed and looked around the glass covered floor.

Gibbs shook his head with a small laugh.

"How about you stay with me?" Kate seemed to be asking Gibbs more then she was asking Arty.

"Boss," McGee snapped on a pair of gloves and picked up something, "Found the bullet."

"Abby, can you check it?" Gibbs handed it to her.

"Of course, Gibbs," she smiled and clicked a couple of times. "Bad news."

"What?" Arty was suddenly next to her.

"This was shot from the same gun that killed your parents."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So that was pretty adventurous! I'm pretty sad no one reviewed. It makes me VERY sad. So if you review, it keeps me writing. Reviews = Happy Bandit!**

**Thanks to everyone who read this story! You are awesome!**


	6. Chapter 6: Abuse

Hey! For those of you wondering why I took so long... I'm lazy ;) But I finally finished the chapter. Viola! Hope you enjoy ;) Buon divertimento!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. Except Arty. Arty is mine.

Characters are slightly AU (especially Gibbs, if you haven't already noticed)

~Very Special Agent Bandit

* * *

><p>All We Are<p>

Chapter 6

"There," Ducky sighed as he finished the checkup on the victim. "I'm done."

Arty examined her arm, admiring the tight bandages covering the large gash that had formed when she hit the ground, and she knew McGee had similar wounds, "Thanks Doctor."

She hopped off the cool metal autopsy table and headed towards the elevator, where Kate and Tony were talking.

"All good?" Kate smiled kindly at her.

"Yep," Arty paused and wiggled the fingers of the her left hand, "Though this is going to be hard to deal with."

"What?" Something seemed to be bothering the senior field agent.

"I'm left handed," Arty shrugged.

"Ready to go home?" Kate seemed glad to change to subject.

"Yeah, sure," Arty smiled and headed after Kate.

* * *

><p>"Hey," Arty noticed Tony jump slightly as she walked into the bullpen with Kate the next morning.<p>

"Hey Kate, Arty," Tony greeted them, "Ducky wanted to see you both."

"Got it," Kate smiled, and winked at Arty before leading her back to the elevator.

"This is going to be fun," Arty smirked and exchanged looks with Tony.

Kate pressed the up button and chuckled. The doors opened, and Gibbs was inside, apparently looking for someone. Arty jumped back ten feet in surprise with a small, childish yelp. She cowered behind Tony and Kate, and gave a feeble whimper. Kate turned in surprise and looked at the crouching girl with a questioning look.

Arty drew a long breath, trying to calm herself, "Sorry," she rubbed her nose and stood up again.

"Come on," Gibbs gestured for her and she sighed.

"Are you going to interrogate me now?" she shuffled forward like a little child.

"Not now," the two stepped into the elevator, and Gibbs pressed a button. Arty stood silently, her lips pursed, trying to look as innocent as she could. The elevator lurched forward as it started up again, and she lost her balance. She stumbled a few steps forward, and her left arm struck on of the rails. She gave a loud cry.

"Ouch!" she flinched back into the corner, holding her injured arm gingerly.

Gibbs said nothing, though Arty could see his eyes flashing with what looked like concern.

She listened to the elevator's lurched as she massaged her arm, and leaned against the wall of the elevator. Did they really think she was a killer? She wouldn't do that. Not in a million years.

Arty scowled, and brushed a strand of her blonde hair out of her face, and waiting impatiently for the doors to open. She couldn't fathom why Gibbs refused to talk to her. Perhaps he was mad. About what, though? Maybe he thought it was her fault for getting shot at. But that didn't make sense. Was it her fault? Maybe it was. Arty huffed, crossed her arms in thought, which earned a look from Gibbs. He must want it to be silent. She pursed her lips again, and continued her thoughts.

She jumped when the elevator dinged, and gained her composure enough to stumble out of the doors after Gibbs. She didn't recognize the hallway they were in.

"McGee's waiting for you in there," Gibbs pointed to a doorway across the hall. Arty tried to make out what the words on the door said, but Gibbs opened the door for you, and gave her a gentle shove in the direction of it, so she had no choice but to go in.

It was dark in the room; she had to blink several times before she got a little accustomed to it. She saw a bunch of odd electronic things pushed up against the far wall, and she noticed a person sitting in a chair, headphones over his ears, looking at what seemed to be a TV. McGee stood closer to her, looking out what seemed to be a large window. She approached him, and frowned at the many bandages littering his arms.

She touched them gingerly, and he turned fast, almost hitting her head, "Oh McGee."

"It's fine," he paused and turned back to the room, "Abby already comforted me enough for the whole team."

She kept her eyes on the side of his head, "I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault," he shifted, and Arty turned to look out the window.

"Karen!" she pressed her hands against the window and snarled. "What're you doing to her?"

She watched as the person who had raised her as much as Arty's own parents had, sat fidgeting nervously in a chair. She pressed her shaking hands on the dark table in front of her, and her face grew pale. Arty could tell she was extremely frightened, and Arty didn't like it.

"What are you doing to her?" she demanded again, her voice harsh.

"Nothing," McGee replied calmly, "Yet."

"Yet?" she cried out, "Where are we?"

"Observation," Arty was incredibly annoyed by his even tone.

"Observation? Where is she?" Arty snarled at him, running a hand through her hair in an aggravated fashion.

"Interrogation," McGee pulled her back from the window as Gibbs came into the interrogation room.

Arty gaped at him. Her mind went fuzzy as Gibbs started demanding things of the women. "I'm witnessing an interrogation?"

"Yes," McGee sighed, and tried to focus on the conversation.

Arty just stared as she listened faintly to Gibbs and Karen.

"Where were you two days ago?"

"At home, with Kennedy."

"Can you tell me exactly how your day went?"

"Why is he being so nice to her?" Arty whispered to McGee, "Tony tells me that he's always rough with suspects."

McGee shrugged nonchalantly, "He wants her to trust him before he breaks her."

Arty gulped, "Break her? That sounds nice."

"Sir, why am I here? I didn't do anything."

Oh, just tell him how your day went. Arty was silently begging herself. "I don't want her to be broken."

"It's nothing," McGee replied coolly, "Nothing bad. Well nothing _too_ bad."

Arty gulped again.

"Where's Arty? Is she safe? What have you done with her?"

Arty scowled and kicked the wall silently. "Answer the dang question, Karen," she muttered to herself, before returning back to the window.

"Arty," McGee turned to her, scratching his right hand nervously.

"Yes?" Arty didn't want to tear her gaze away from the interrogation.

"Can you tell me everything that happened?" he seemed to regret asking the question.

"Everything?" Arty swallowed, "Why are you interrogating me? Someone tried to kill me last night. Doesn't that prove I didn't do it?"

"You could've had an accomplice that you told to shoot you. So it looked like you didn't do it," McGee shrugged, and sighed.

Arty scoffed, "I didn't do anything."

"What happened on Tuesday?" McGee turned on her, his eyes oddly bright.

She gave a resolute sigh, "I left in the morning. Michael, Natalie's older brother, told us that Kennedy was sick. Michael is good friends with Kayla, Kennedy's other sister. So my brother and I walked to school, it's not far from our house, and since he has totally different classes, I didn't see him until later that day, when I saw Austin, Ethan's best friend, walking alone. So I asked her where Ethan went. She said he got a call on his cell phone, and he ran out, saying he had to go some where. I just thought maybe Dad or Mom needed help with something. So, I called Natalie's mom, and she picked me up, because I didn't want to walk alone. On the way to our house, we have to pass through this scary neighborhood where a bunch of crimes happen and stuff."

"You didn't call your brother to see what was going on?" McGee raised an eyebrow at her, and she barely resisted slapping him for suspecting her.

"No, I figured they wouldn't mind if I hung out at Natalie's for a while. I usually don't get caught up in what happens between my brother and my parents," she shrugged nonchalantly, "After that, I hung at Natalie's for about an hour or so, and then her mom said I should probably go home, so she dropped me off on the corner. I told her I wanted to check on Kennedy. And I was just about to go to their house, when the bomb went off. I raced to my house, and the first thing I saw was my brother. I freaked, of course. And then all the neighbors saw me. Then Karen came out and got me up, called you guys, and took me inside her house. I told Kennedy what happened, she got all teary eyed and then the police and stuff came. You know the rest."

"You didn't plant a bomb or anything?" Arty snorted.

"No, I barely have time to eat _breakfast_ in the morning. We only have to walk, because we only have two cars. My brother never got one, and my parents have to get to work in time," Arty sighed, and continued to watch the interrogation, only catching faint words of the angered conversation, "And besides, if I really _had_ planted to bomb, do you think I would tell you if I did?"

"You have a point there," McGee chuckled, "Though you'd be surprised what could happen in a year of working here. You see the oddest stuff."

Arty laughed, and leaned against the glass so she was facing McGee, a sly look on her face, "Why do you let Tony harass you?"

McGee shrugged in a "dunno" way, "He's senior field agent."

"Doesn't give him an excuse," Arty sighed, "Yet you let him do it. It's not like he's that strong. You could take him," she squinted her eyes as if scaling him, and they both laughed, "And yet you let Kate do it too."

"I don't mind," McGee shrugged again and looked away from the girl.

"Sandy, don't make me laugh. Ha ha ha," Arty smiled brightly at him.

He turned towards her, and she instantly frowned at his blank expression, "You know, Grease? 1978? Olivia Newton John and John Travolta?" her jaw dropped, "Come on! You've have got to have watched it? It's a classic!"

"It might be," McGee shrugged, "I didn't have time for movies. I mostly read."

"You've got to be kidding," she put her head in her hands, "I'm what, thirteen years younger then you? And I've seen the movie a billion times."

"DiNozzo would be proud of you," McGee snorted at her reaction, "He makes movie references all the time."

Arty laughed, "I don't know many movies. Just some of the little collection my parents had."

McGee nodded, and turned back towards the interrogation once more, "Seems like she's telling the truth. We'll have to see what Gibbs says."

"She's telling the truth," Arty said instantly, "I'm sure of it."

McGee raised an eyebrow at her, "How are you so sure?" his tone was suspicious. Arty nudged him playfully on the arm.

"She's not the type to lie. Stop suspecting me!" she growled at him, her voice hurt. "I didn't do anything."

McGee said nothing, but watched as Gibbs left the room, leaving Mrs. Clark sobbing. Arty's eyebrows furrowed and she gave a soft moan, along with a short sigh.

"He broke her," Arty muttered.

McGee shook his head," She didn't confess-."

"She didn't do anything!" Arty turned on him, her eyes filled with rage.

"She didn't confess," McGee continued, "So he didn't break her."

Arty held back a scream as she watched Karen cry in the room, "Why do you have to do this? She obviously didn't do anything."

"What makes you think that?" Arty turned around quickly, only to notice Gibbs was standing there, an unreadable expression on his face.

Arty looked down quickly, "She just—she just…"

"Are you so sure she didn't do anything because _you_ did?" Gibbs stepped towards her, Arty rolled her eyes.

"You don't scare me, Gibbs," she smirked at him in an amused fashion.

"I should," he growled at her. She laughed.

"Well, you don't. I most certainly did _not_ do anything. I don't even know how to make a bomb," she adverted her eyes, looking back to McGee.

There was a long awkward pause, where Arty kept her eyes held on McGee, waiting for Gibbs' reply, but he didn't say anything. She swallowed with difficulty, and tried not to notice Karen's wails.

"Boss, what do you think?" McGee finally broke the silence, and looked at his boss expectantly.

"I think she's telling the truth, McGee."

"Which she?" Arty looked towards him, only to find that Gibbs'd gone, and she was now left alone with McGee once more.

McGee didn't say a word as he led her out of the observation room, and back through the twisting hallways, into the elevator, and back into the bullpen, but she could tell he mind was racing. She didn't want to say anything either.

She sat down leisurely in a chair from the desk in the far end of the bullpen, and watched as McGee started to do work. She knew Kate and Tony had gone to go collect some witnesses or something, and she figured Gibbs was off checking evidence from Abby's lab. She crossed her arms as she watched McGee's fingers fly across his keyboard, his face pulled into an expression of concentration as he watched the screen with interest. "What are you doing, McGeek? Gibbs hasn't given you anything to do."

McGee sighed, but didn't stop, "I'm doing whatever Gibbs might ask me next. You pissed him off. I don't enjoy being yelled at," McGee snorted at her.

"It never ends well for the kids," Tony said as he strode in the bullpen, an angry Kate following him. He expertly dodged Arty as she raced in her chair across the room towards where Tony was walking. He smiled and chuckled.

"Something wrong Kate?" Arty rolled towards Kate's desk, where the fuming agent sat.

"Is something wrong? Is something wrong? Yes, something is _very_ wrong," Kate muttered as she shuffled through the papers on her desk, growling something incomprehensible.

Arty raised an eyebrow at Tony, who was waiting for his monitor to start up, "Kate was displeased about the way Mrs. Durnil was acting."

_Mrs. Durnil_. Arty had heard that name before. From where, she hadn't the slightest. "Acting?" Kate burst out, standing suddenly.

"Yes, her actions," Tony replied calmly. Kate's jaw dropped.

Arty looked at her a little cautiously. She had no idea what Kate would do next.

"You've got to be kidding me! She abused her three-year-old daughter! In front of us!" Kate stomped towards Tony's desk.

"We've got no proof of that," Tony didn't look up from the computer screen.

"How can you be so damn, sorry Arty, calm about this whole thing?" Arty watched the intense conversation, along with McGee, who looked just as puzzled as she felt.

"We don't know if she's done it before, or if she was just nervous about NCIS special agents being there," he finally looked up and met Kate's flashing eyes, "I'm not saying I wasn't too pleased about it either."

Kate growled and sidled back to her desk.

"May I ask," Arty's voice faltered slightly, "May I ask exactly what she did?"

"Punched her daughter, Emily, in the face," Kate practically screamed.

Arty's stomach dropped, her breathing becoming shallow, "Oh," her voice went rapidly quiet.

She looked down at the floor slowly, biting her lip with a quiet sigh, which did not go unnoticed by either of the three agents.

"Arty?" McGee questioned, his voice gentle, "What wrong?"

Arty shook her head, as if removing something from her head, "It's nothing," she could tell that they weren't convinced, but she didn't elaborate.

"What's nothing?" Gibbs strode into the bullpen, avoiding Arty and her chair, which she didn't care to move.

"Nothing's nothing," she hissed and glared at him as she stood, "It's just a stupid story I was telling them."

She knew he didn't believe her, but she didn't care. As long as he didn't find out. Well, come to think of it, he probably already knew.

"What did you find, Todd, DiNozzo?" he shrugged it off, and sat in his desk, sipping the new cup of coffee he'd just bought.

"We have a main suspect, Mrs. Durnil," Kate growled at her name, "Claims she saw somebody following both Petty Officer King and Mrs. King. We brought her in for questioning."

"Where'd you put her?" Gibbs asked, looking at both of them in surprise.

"Interrogation," Tony replied quickly, "Kate couldn't stand to look at her anymore."

"She beat her child," Kate said protectively, glowering at Tony.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at them, before heading towards the elevator. Tony started after him, but Arty was in his way. He sighed, but she gave no sign of moving, "Move," he growled, reaching out to grab her arm, so he could pull her out of the way, but she instead flinched, stepped back several steps, her arms flying up as if to protect her face, and she let out a yelp of distress.

Tony's eyebrows furrowed as she did this, Kate stopped going through her papers, McGee stared at her in alarm, and Gibbs stopped in his tracks, having watched the whole thing, and started back towards the bull pen.

Arty lowered her hands, but still sat in her crouching position, watching Tony carefully.

"What was that about?" Tony stepped forwards slowly. Arty didn't say anything, but simply looked away, as if trying to blink back tears, but she wasn't crying. Gibbs approached her quietly.

He took her hand gently, gripping it protectively, before pulling her up, putting his free arm around her shoulders. He shot a look at Tony. Arty looked down once again.

"Gibbs, Arty, what's going on?" Kate looked uncertain as to why Gibbs was being so caring.

"Arty's parents used to abuse her," Gibbs said evenly, not letting go of Arty's hand.

"But, Boss, it didn't say that on her report," McGee exclaimed without thinking, but Arty still didn't look up.

"She asked me to remove it from the report as long as I knew. She didn't find it relevant to the case, and neither did I. She still loved her parents," Gibbs shot him a look too.

Arty stuck out her right arm, the one that wasn't bandaged, and showed everyone the fading bruises that littered her skin.

"I thought they were from your brother and you wrestling or something," Tony muttered, obviously disturbed.

Arty gave a quiet scoff, coming back to reality, "My brother and I never fought. We were closer than blood. He was more of a father than any one else was."

Gibbs removed his arms from her shoulder, along with his hand from hers, and looked her in the eyes, clearly saying, "Are you okay?" She nodded, and looked at Tony.

"You're okay, Tony, you wouldn't know," she tapped his shoulder slightly as his expression turned guilty. She looked around at his co-workers, "You guys wouldn't know either. I don't blame any of you."

Tony then looked sympathetic, and it pained her, "Honestly, no need to go feeling sorry for me. I'm fine. It just—well it just takes some getting used to," she smiled sheepishly, and sat down in her chair again.

"Get back to work," Gibbs barked at them all before heading towards the rapidly closing doors again, "Tony, with me, interrogation."

Arty watched as this time Tony stepped around her chair and darted after Gibbs. She watched them all work wistfully. She sure hoped they would catch the killer soon.

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><p><strong>AN: Pretty angsty. Yep. And Gibbs was all off, but it was necissary. And by necissary, I mean I did it so it would have some reference later on in the story. Hope you review! Sure makes me happy ;) (especially you, Nayster). Oh yeah, I do realize I have no chapter 5. The things were confusing me, so I skipped to chapter five. No worries. Just leave it there. Preview for chapter 7:**

**The two were met with three pairs of blank stares. Arty scoffed and Tony groaned in embarresment. They exchanged glances, and Arty suddenly jumped into his arms bridal style, opening her arms wide.**

**"Ta da!" they both said symtainiously, and grinned wide. **

**So basically in the next chapter, there's a bunch of Arty and Tony brother/sister love. And stuff. And they progress in the case and such. So, I really do hope you review. ;)**

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><p>smush68: Haha, I hope this is soon enough ;) Thank you so much for reviewing<p>

Candy77: :D Thank you so much ;) I try my best to be awesome! Thank you SOOOOOO much :)

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO READ AND REVIEWED! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!


	7. Chapter 7: Siblings

_Hey there! Sorry for the horribly late update... You know how school is... I've barely had time to breathe, haha :) Anyways, this chapter is pretty much pointless, other than showing the relationship between Kate, Arty, and Tony, haha :) And a small reference that may or may not have something to do with the resolution of this story. But you wouldn't see it now, haha... Oh yeah, and for those of you who read my other stories, I have _finally_ finished Home and I've been working furiously on Attention. Thanks you guys for reading my story! Buon divertimento!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize_

_Characters are only slightly AU _

_~Very Special Agent Bandit_

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><p>All We Are<p>

Chapter 7

The blonde-haired girl woke with a start and a monstrous yawn. As Arty stretched out lazily across the chair, something caught her eye. Kate had left a file open, and she was no where to be found. She scanned the rest of the bullpen, and figured since it was empty, she had a clear go. Even as she stood from the chair, she glanced upstairs to make sure Gibbs wasn't there, or exiting a room. She knelt down and took the file carefully into her hands, and started to read it. After all, she wanted to know as much about the case as she could.

"What are you doing?" She spun around, and met Kate's eyes.

She gave the agent a huge, megawatt smile, and looked innocently up at her. "You didn't honestly think you could leave me alone, and not have me shuffle through your stuff, now did you?"

Arty stood slowly, being carefully not to hit Kate, who was looking at her with a fierce expression and her hands on her hips. Arty nearly crumpled to the ground at the look. "No, I didn't. I was just downstairs getting something to eat."

"Sorry," Arty squeaked, nearly crumpling to the ground from Kate's stare. "I-I didn't mean to… Sorry K-Kate-e-e-e."

The anger disappeared just like that, and Kate raised an eyebrow, "Katie?"

"I'm sorry," Arty straightened up, her mind still racing, "I swear I didn't mean to."

"No, it's okay, I kind of like it," Kate smiled and went around to her desk, Arty trailing her.

"But doesn't Tony call you that?" Arty ventured, looking over Kate's shoulder as she turned on her computer. Kate brushed Arty away, but her grin widened.

"When DiNozzo calls me that, it sounds disgusting and sexist and horrible," Kate stood up and faced Arty, "But when you say it, it sounds nice and sweet."

"Awesome," Arty grinned at Kate, who then squeezed her shoulder gently before moving past her. "What movie are we going to watch tonight?"

Kate looked back at the girl with a devious smile, "I hope you like horror films."

Arty groaned and rolled her eyes, "Not again," they both burst out in giggles.

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><p>Arty watched all of the four special agents work with certain interest. It was so quiet, aside from the clicking of the keyboard keys and the scribbling of pens on paper; Arty could almost hear crickets chirping in the background, despite it being three in the afternoon. She couldn't take it. She stood up rather suddenly and loudly, and captured all of the agent's attention in a heartbeat.<p>

"Do you know what move this reminds me of?" She squinted her eyes at them all.

There was a long awkward pause, which included several eye rolling and more scribbling, "No, what move does this remind you of?" Tony saved her from embarrassing herself.

"My Cousin Vinny," Arty said in a dramatic voice. Tony stood up and stared at her incredulously. He rounded his desk, and deflected the long glare Gibbs was shooting him.

"How in the world does this remind you of My Cousin Vinny?" Tony glanced at her suspiciously, his eyes narrowed down to slits.

"Well," Arty shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, "I'm not really sure. Just all the lawyering and paperwork, and somehow watching you guys reminds me of it."

Tony raised an eyebrow, and opened his mouth to speak when Kate spoke up, "What's My Cousin Vinny?"

"A movie," Tony shrugged.

Kate shot him a questioning look. Arty gasped and placed a hand on her heart, "You've never heard of My Cousin Vinny?"

"No," Kate looked at them both warily, "Should I have?"

"Yes," Tony's expression had turned from surprise to exhaustion to surprise again.

Arty turned around in wide circles, her arms flung out. She caught all of their eyes, "Have none of you heard of My Cousin Vinny, except for Tony?"

She was met with blank expressions. She groaned and looked up at Tony.

"You know? Like youts and lawyering?" Arty glanced desperately around her.

"And that one kid stole the can of tuna. And that other lawyer who was like 'I'm so scared, I hate being a lawyer.' Remember?" Tony came to her rescue, pointing to McGee, "I showed you it the other day! Come on McGeek!"

The two were met with three pairs of listless stares. Arty scoffed and Tony groaned in embarrassment. They exchanged glances, and Arty suddenly jumped into his arms bridal style, opening her arms wide.

"Ta-da!" they both said simultaneously, and grinned wide.

It was then that Abby came up stairs, having pushed the wrong button, and decided she could still check on the team. Arty turned her head and saw Abby at that moment, standing next to Kate, one eyebrow raised, a smirk planted on her lips. Arty smiled cheesily, and jumped from Tony's arms.

"Sorry," Arty strolled back to her chair, where she sat down once again, "I was in a movie mood."

Tony snickered and went back to his desk. The rest of the team was still staring at them. Arty rolled her eyes slowly.

"Come on," she clapped twice, "Chop chop, get back to work!" she was met with even more blank stares. She rolled her eyes again and looked at Gibbs.

"Get back to work," he barked, and went to his own desk. The team scurried everywhere, Kate and McGee to their desks, and Abby went sprinting towards her lab. Arty folded her arms in a pleased manner.

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><p>Arty groaned and buried her head in her arms, "So this guy, what's-his-face, isn't going to help us at all? He's a dead end?" She peaked up at Kate from Tony's desk.<p>

Kate nodded grimly. Arty groaned again, "And Mrs. Clark certainly didn't do it. The worker at Walgreens confirmed that."

"Yep," Kate started to type lightning fast as she listened to Arty complain.

"So, we can't advance any further on the case, since I most certainly didn't do it, and we have no more suspects," Arty buried her face again.

"We'll find suspects, Art," Kate replied soothingly, glancing up at the distressed thirteen-year-old.

"I just want you to find the killer," she sat up and threw her arms into the air with frustration, "Is that just too much to ask of everybody? Why can't the killer just turn himself freakin' in?"

"You're tired," Kate gave a soft chuckle, "Two more hours, than we can head come, okay?"

Arty nodded her approval, obviously still upset about the suspects, and still dreading the horror movie, but returned to her original position non-the-less.

"Hey, hey, you two," Tony basically skipped into the bullpen. He spun around three times before handing Arty a box of Chinese food. She snatched it hungrily, and giggled quietly.

"Wow," Tony handed Kate her own box of Chinese, "Feeling a little Golum-ish today?"

"It's Sméagol," Arty smirked, but continued the open the box slowly, glaring at it as if it was the best thing in the world.

Tony shrugged, "Same difference," he muttered before turning to her and in his best impression of Sméagol said, "The precious, the precious."

Arty growled, and took out her chopsticks. Kate smirked in the background and leaned back in her chair, continuing to watch the two bicker in their odd ways. Tony turned and tossed Arty a fork. She caught it without the slightest hint of difficulty and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's this for?" she raised it as she chewed on her food.

"Well, I figured you might need it," Tony pulled up McGee's chair so he was facing Kate and Arty both.

"For what?"

"For…eating?" he dug into his own box.

"I can use chopsticks perfectly fine, thanks," she sniffed, and threw the fork down onto Tony's desk.

Tony didn't say anything, but watched as she picked a piece of beef, focused on it, and picked it up. At that moment, her fingers slipped, and the cheap, wooden, chopsticks feel to the ground along with the meat. She groaned and leaned back, before picking up the fork and spearing another piece of food.

"Oh yes, perfectly fine," Tony rolled his eyes, and Kate started to snicker uncontrollably.

She shot him a murderous glare, and he started to snicker too, but Kate instantly stopped, and buried her face behind her computer, "I didn't think it was funny," her voice was muffled as she spoke quietly.

"I did," Tony smiled brightly, ducking as Arty threw a pencil at him. "I could have you arrested for that."

"Oh really?" Arty smirked and looked at him in a devious way. She nodded her head in a mocking way, "Try me."

She jumped over his desk and smirked at him in a taunting way.

He smiled at her, and punched her in the arm playfully. She raised her eyebrow in surprise, and returned the punch, though less playfully. He snorted and punched her again. She parroted him. The two continued in this way, before Arty finally tackled him to the ground, pinning him down.

"I wasn't prepared," Tony breathed, as Arty gave a small chuckle, and Kate was bursting out in laughter, doubled over as she watched them.

"Sure you weren't," Arty winked at him.

"I just can't wait until Gibbs magically appears and catches you," Tony winked back.

"He won't catch me. He's down in Abby's lab."

"He won't be there long," Tony shook his head rapidly.

Arty leaned back, so she was sitting on his knees, "Truce?"

She extended her hand to him, "Truce," he agreed. She quickly helped him up, with Kate's help, and they all exchanged smiles.

"For now," she added under her breath, so quiet that there was no possibility that anyone could hear.

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><p>"I'm telling you, Tony, you can't find anything by staring at a picture," Arty poked the agent's arm to get his attention. "You've got to take a break sometime."<p>

"He works his best when he doesn't stop, Arty, it's best not to disturb him," McGee said lightly, as he began researching on his computer.

"It's true, you should just leave him," Kate nodded as she stepped into the bullpen, looking gently at Tony.

"It's a picture of my house blown to bits!" Arty flung up her arms up in frustration, "There is nothing to see!"

"There is," Tony finally spoke, his voice quiet as he studied the disaster-filled photograph with amazing interest.

"What are you hoping to find?" Arty turned to him, "A person holding up a big flashing sign, saying, 'I'm the killer! Here I am! Catch me!'?"

"I was hoping for it," he joked, turning towards her with a wide grin.

"You would," Arty replied listlessly, her mouth open, "Sometimes, for being a _very_ special agent who is supposed to be smart, you really can be dumb."

Tony cocked one eyebrow at her, "What?"

"She means you are an idiot," Kate called from her desk seat.

"I am not!" Tony huffed, crossing his arms.

Arty snorted and shook her head at Kate. "How much longer until we can leave?"

"One hour," Kate replied, checking her watch for a split second.

"Geez," Tony had turned back to the screen, "Don't sound so excited."

"I did sound excited," Arty smiled charmingly, "About leaving you."

Tony huffed again.

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><p>"Come on Katie, let's go," Arty yawned, "I'm tired."<p>

Kate cupped her chin, "Don't whine."

Arty chuckled, "But I am," Kate held up a finger as she packed up her bag, before slinging it over her shoulder and slipping on a light jacket.

"Now let's go."

Arty raced towards the elevator, and stood there, tapping her foot impatiently as if she'd been waiting there for a long time. "You have the patience of a pea," Kate smiled brightly at her as she stepped into the elevator herself.

They both watched the doors close, very, _very _slowly. Arty groaned, "I have _less_ patience than peas do."

"So, how was your day?" Kate turned to her and patted her shoulder.

"You were _there_ for more than half of my day," Arty snickered, sticking her hands in the jacket she'd put on.

"Not all of it though," they both chuckled lightly.

"I am so tired," Arty whined as she leaned against the wall of the elevator.

"Stop complaining, we're almost home," Kate rolled her eyes.

"We're not even in the car yet, Katie," Arty smirked, but stepped forward none-the-less.

"I suppose since you're so tired we're not going to watch the movie tonight?" Kate tempted Arty deviously, her face glowing as she looked at the blonde-haired-girl.

"Of course we're going to watch the movie," she blocked the look Kate gave her, "Horror film or not. I still need to be educated so I can keep up with Tony."

"Everything's a competition with you and Tony isn't it?" the two stepped out of the cool, metal elevator, and into the even cooler air. They both headed in the direction of Kate's car.

"Look who's talking," Arty gave Kate an innocent grin as she slid into the passenger seat of the car.

"Well," Kate paused, "We've known each other for a year now. Of course it's going to be a competition. How long have you known each other? Two weeks?"

"One," Arty snapped, pulling her seatbelt into place and leaned back in the comfortable leather chair as Kate started up the engine.

"So I find it a little odd that you two already treat each other like family," Kate turned up the heater and watched the road for cars going for a midnight ride.

"Well, Tony goes along with it. And he's a fun guy to be around," Arty shrugged and rested her head against her window.

"I thought you liked him?"

Arty pulled her head from the glass and looked Kate sternly in the eye, "If you tell…"

"I won't. I swore, remember?" Kate smiled mischievously and met Arty's glare.

"I don't like him as much now, okay? That's it. It's just 'cause I find him a little cute. Don't tell me you don't have a crush on him. 'Cause I know you do," she gave a ferocious yawn and settled against the window again.

"I don't," Kate elbowed her.

"You do," Arty replied in a mocking voice.

"I don't, and stop arguing with me," Kate snapped, and they exchanged glances. Arty sighed and raised her hands in surrender.

"All right, all right, fine, you don't like Tony DiNozzo," she smiled and turned on the radio, blasting Journey through the car.

"You aren't normal," Kate shouted over the awesome guitar riffs.

"How so?"

"Most girls your age wouldn't listen to Journey. It'd be Hilary Duff or Raven Symone. Or they'd be screaming over Jesse McCartney."

"Nah… I've just decided upon the fact that I was born too late."

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><p><strong>AN: Haha, just for the record, I am in LOVE with Journey, and thus the reference. And if any of you wanted to know, I decided the song they were listening to was Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'... O_o which is oddly my favorite song of theirs. Anyways, I hope you liked it and didn't think it was too pointless or silly, haha :) It's basically a filler chapter, just so I can make the chapter longer... Thanks! :)**

**Here's a sneak peek of chapter 8:**

**"Wait, wait, zoom in," Arty opened her mouth, pointing at McGee as she examined the picture closely.**

**"Do you recognize this person, Arty?" Gibbs stepped forward, his eyes bright.**

**"Yeah- no... it can't be-" And suddenly Arty was gone, racing towards the elevator.**

**"Arts?"**

**Haha, I hope you liked that preview :)**

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><p>Candy77: First off, thank you SO much for reading my fic, haha :) And second off, you're awesome... :) Hope you like this chapter... :)<p>

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU READ AND REVIEWED! LOVE YOU ALL 3 YOU DESERVE CAF-POW! ;)


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